Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-06-30
How Mr., Johnson Kept
House.

bowailing the inipoSSihllity oi leaving hoihc
10 visit her mother who had invited her.
"But how will You get along while | am
gone ,"
"As if could not keep houSe ms well rs
any woman e. said Mr. johnson, indignant
ly "rhat is, If | had mind Ia. II would
he n little strange If IL man that could build
IA sttam-cngne, and tame the electricity,
and calculate the eclipses for hundreds of
years to come could not boil a potatoe, aud
make coffee in a pot e.
"Ycs, yes, ! suppose SO, said Mrs, John
son "hut I'll confess, Charley, ! never
looked at il i'm that light before. | never
| supposed that, in being a scientific man, the
art OF being able 10 cook well came along
with il. But no doubt you are right, aud,
if You think you can manage for fort
night, III go 10 mothers tomorrow"
Manage? OF course | can manage And
, YOU shall see that ! will have rs neat a house
and as good table as you, and not spend
all of my time puttering round, as women
| do, either"
So Mrs. johnson, relying upon her hus-
bands capacity rs household-manager, de
parted for her mothers.
Mr.. johnson had invited sam Brooks,
bachelor chum of his, 10 come and board at
the house with him during the absence of
Mrs. johnson. lie had boasted of his ability
| 10 manage domestic affairs more than once
before Brooks, and he wanted 10 prove that
lie had not been overrating his talent.
Mrs. johnson had kindly offered ''to leave
something cooked" but her husband had
objected so the young wife gave the bread
and cold meat that We're left from breakfast,
on the morning of her departure, 10 a needy
tramp, and Johnsons cupboard in conse-
quence was left bare literally.
Brooks had come over the previous night,
Ia help johnson "start out fair, and, when
Mrs. johnson was ont of the house, the
two men began planning their work for the
| day
Il am Ia be AT the Office AT eleven said
johnson, "and il is now nine. That gives
us two hours to get the dinner cooking, wash
the dishes, and do the chamberwork. DIM
ner will cook while We are down town, o.
course My wife always gets it going, and
then sits down 10 her sewing or fancy-work,
till it's time 10 put ii on the table. Brooks,
did it ever strike you that women have an
ALFRED easy time of it ?"
"Of course they have" said Brooks, with
emphasis "Anybody could see that, with
half an eye Yet they're always complain
ing of being ovcrworked"
"Well. women are natural complainers, |
suppose" said johnson, hunting around NJ
ter his wifc's apron, and getting 1T on up
| under his arms. wrong-side-out. Now am
| uniformed Let MS wash the dishes and
! talk over what well have for dinner" He
seized the boiling tca-kettle from the stove,
| but dropped ii insiantancously, and the WA
ter ran into the coal in the hod, and under
| the mat, and under the door into thedinning-
| room.
Cough - cried johnson, blowing and
| rubbing his scalded wrist, ''it must have
been the steam. Coufound the thing !
| didn't think of the steam. Good gracious /;
the waters running all over the house.
Give me a rag. quick I'll mopit up
which Brooks handed him from n drawer in
the kitchen, got down on his knees, and
| commenced sorping mp the water
''Your coat-tails are in the coal-hod,
cried Brooks. by George it's too bad,
and that delicate gray, too =
Johnson got up with hurried whisk of
the tails aforesaid, and they swept five
dollar china turccn from the table, and
broke it into fragments.
at never rains but it pours," said John
son, striving hard to keep his temper, as he
SURVEYED the wet black Strcals on his coat.
"IIl send ii To my uncle in the country.and
say nothing to Anne about it. We've made
rather bad beginning, sam but we shall
come ont all right. And we'll wash the
dishes in cold water
(Which will you do-wash or wipe ~
asked Brooks.
'I'll wash, because have got IN apron
on" said johnson, as he piled the dishes in
10 the pan miscellaneously, tin pans and
china all together, and dashed some cold
water on them 'Wheres the dish-cloth, |
wonder p poking around under the sink,
and bringing to light calico rag, which
had evidently been used to clean lamps.
"What in the dickens is that smells so
strong of kerosene 90 asked Brooks, shifting
the air suspiciously 81 wonder if I've got
any on my clothes ?" glancing around him,
and examining the skirts of his coat. by
.Toye. johnson, it's your dish-cloth The
oil is fairly dripping out of it,
johnson threw il on the floor with n geS-
ture of disgust, and substituted the towel
they had just wiped their hands ON. The
cold water flew in every direction, but the
grease did not start on the dishes. Brooks
suggested soap, which slightly mended
matters but was not entirely satisfactory.
"Seems to me the dishes don't feel nor
smell Just rs they do when Anne washes
them" said johnson, thoughtfully but
then perhaps it is imagination. Now, sam,
what shall we have for dinner ~
"Perhaps it had better be n simple one, till
we get the hang of things little more, said
Sam, with caution. "What do you say 10
| chicken-pie, tenderloin steak, cusSlrd-
| pudding, and some light hot biscuit
"Admirabl e! Nothing could he better or
simpler. will 20 out and order the chick
en- and the steak and you shall make the
pudding. | guess Anne would stare If she
could see how nicely we are doing.
He nut on another coat, went out, and
soon returned with the chicken and steak.
Brooks was making the pudding He had
an old cookbook on the shelf before him,
which he looked ut surrcptitiously now and
| then.
He broke his eggs into tin pan, poured
in some milk dumped in scoopful of SUI
gar. salted the compound, gave it stir, and
set il down on Il chair while he and john
son went to the window, to see an old man,
who had lost his hat, run after it. The
| s;rb+ ,vos nuite insniriting. owing to the